As farmers, we have a multitude of resources available to us. We need to make a conscious effort to utilize them to help us, our animals and our farms. There are two major areas where I feel we are granted a significant amount of help: webinars/seminars and veterinarians/veterinary teaching hospitals.
Many business meetings and continuing education modules have now gone virtual. Occasionally, you still will find a few in-person meetings and training events but, overall, the vast majority of this information is presented online. Both have their pros and cons.
Having in-person events is nice because it gives you the chance to step away from your daily routine and personally speak to those presenting information to you. At the same time, sometimes it is a challenge to get away and travel to a meeting, so having the option to participate virtually is often a benefit. Often, these methods have boards for posting questions or emails of the presenter listed to answer any questions.
In addition, many universities are offering courses and certificates in certain agriculture areas. Be sure to check these out.
Subsequently, building a relationship with your vet and utilizing veterinary teaching schools for more challenging issues can really be an asset to your business. If you are in an area that is well staffed with large-animal veterinarians, be sure to build a relationship with them. Not only will they be there for you for monthly herd checks and emergencies, but they can also be a great resource to bounce ideas off of for your programs on your farm.
Another area I do not feel is as valued as well as it should be: veterinary teaching hospitals. Based on your geographical location, taking a challenging animal case to a teaching hospital may not be a feasible option – but if it is, I highly recommend it.
Not all cases, obviously, can be saved, but they do have the newest technology and resources and a large number of experienced vets working on these cases to try and yield the best outcome for all. Although they cannot give medical advice over the phone without seeing the animal, I have found they are also helpful over the phone in answering certain questions.
With technology at its height right now and at our fingertips, I feel we can all do better in making the most of what is available to us. Much like everything else, things change, and sometimes we need to rely on those who are up-to-date with the newest information to help us out and continue to teach us on the most modern practices.
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